Friday, February 26, 2010

Help save St. Vincent's Hospital

I'm forwarding this message from a friend's son John. He recently had his second double lung transplant at Penn Medicine, Philadelphia. It was successful but if it wasn't for St. Vincent's Hospital, Manhattan keeping him strong and healthy he would not have had the strength for the operation.

I've lost several close friends to Cystic Fibrosis and we need to do whatever we can to keep clinics like this functioning and working towards a a cure.

Please read and sign the petition to keep the St. Vincent's CF clinic functioning. Lives depend on it.

Thanks.

Hello Family & Friends,

Lungboy2 here! I rarely ever ask for a favor but today I am asking for your help in a matter which is very close to my heart.

Most of you are probably not aware but the hospital I have attended for my pulmonary exacerbations, St. Vincent’s Hospital and Medical Center of New York, is in serious financial difficulties and as a result of this the Cystic Fibrosis Center, which has been my home for the 37 years prior to my first double lung transplant as I fought my battle with CF and today after my second double lung transplant, is in danger of closing its doors.

The CF Center has been a place of comfort and support for me. They kept me healthy and were extremely instrumental in getting me listed for my first double lung transplant at the University of North Carolina (UNC). Seven Years later they would again prove to be a formidable ally. They worked diligently to find a center that would perform my second transplant. During this time they worked expeditiously coordinating and disseminating records and documentation that were needed for my initial acceptance into the program at University of Pennsylvania (UOP).

Before, during and after my second transplant their concern, love and understanding shone through like a beacon of strength. They continued their tireless work on my behalf and were always concerned about my progress and in constant contact with the doctors at UOP. Dr. Walker from the CF Center at St. Vincent’s even showed up at my first bronchcoscopy post transplant to “say hello”!

They have not only been my ‘medical board of directors’ they have been like family and were very supportive and instrumental in many facets of my growth: first as a child, then in my troubled adolescence (those were great times, weren’t they? No?) and well into adulthood. But they were also the exact same thing to many patients whom I share this disease with.

There were instrumental in the first clinical trials for Pulmozyme, a mucus thinner for which I was a participant and later for TOBI an inhaled antibiotic that reduced dreadful side affect, side affects which I was a victim of prior to the advent of this new drug. They are currently conducting three of today’s most exciting clinical research studies: Inspire, Vertex-770 and PTC-124.

At 300 patients strong, this center is vibrant and on the cutting edge of CF research and clinical care. In my estimation it is one of the best clinics and hospital programs that I have ever spent time in.

I am not sure if there is really much we can do but I am asking you all to sign the petition. It will take as long as it takes you to write your name and address. And if you feel compelled please pass this on to others. Here’s the addresswww.savestvincents.com Go to the right side of the page under Contact Our Elected Officials and click on ***first sign the petition***

Thank you all for you love, friendship and support.

With much Love and Peace,

Lungboy2

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